O: Paul knew there was wickedness in the community. Here, yeast is a symbol of corruption that spreads throughout the community.
Yeast, as you probably know, works by consuming sugars and lets off carbon dioxide and alcohol derivatives. That’s how the bread rises and gets fluffy. Funny is that yeast itself is a single cell fungus. Paul, using yeast as a symbol here, shows that it only take a single person or thing to consume the goodness of a Christian and cause them to become full of themselves, emit sins, and not have room for God.
A: Paul was calling for the Corinthians to “clear out the old yeast”, or those in the community who were corrupt, and begin as a new “fresh batch” of people for Christ. He wanted them to be like unleavened bread, and God wants us that way today.
In verses 9-12, it shows he wasn’t asking us to remove ourselves from all immoral people, as we can’t remove ourselves from the world, but rather those in our closer area. If there were people in my group of friends that could be considered the “bad yeast” I should remove myself from them. Same for those who have vices, they would remove them from their house. Wanting to stop eating sweets or drinking Coke? Remove them from your house. Easier said than do, I know. #goals
Stop associating with people (or things) that go against your call as a Christian. Otherwise, you will become corrupted. I had to learn the hard way to stop allowing infectious people in my life, because once in, no matter how hard I tried, they dragged me down.
K: Lord, thank you for all the blessings in my life. Thank you for the hard times, as I didn’t think of them as blessings then, but now see Your goodness from them. Thank you for the women in this study. I pray we continue to be lights for each other, and continue the encouragement for growth as women in Christ.
"Sexual immorality had defiled the church in Corinth. Paul called on the church to purify itself by removing those who were sinning in arrogance, in hopes that they would become repentant. These instructions were specifically for those inside the church and it was meant to be a loving act, seeking restoration. Those outside the church were not to be judged by the church but rather left for God to be the judge.
Have you experienced the church winking at the sin of those inside the church while judging harshly those outside the church? While it may seem loving to overlook the sins of those inside the church, it hurts the holiness of the church and those participating in the sin. But we cannot hold those outside the church to the same standard. In what ways have you been too judgmental of those outside the church and how can you show more love to those who are lost in their sin?" (https://womenlivingwell.org/2019/09/its-time-to-begin-intro-and-resources-for-1-corinthians-1-5/)
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